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Honda trademarks ZSX, could be for baby NSX

While there have been many rumors dating back to 2008 about a mid-engined sports car from Honda, last year's report was provided the most detail about what seemed to be a scaled-down version of the NSX hybrid supercar. Honda may have added some fuel to the rumor-fire by recently filing a trademark application for "ZSX," reports Australia's Performance Drive. The trademark application was sent to the European Union Intellectual Property Office late last month and is obviously close to the NSX nomenclature. The Australian outlet also reports that an unnamed source within Honda claims the ZSX, whatever it may be, could be revealed as early as next year. The anonymous employee also claims that the ZSX will be offered as a coupe and a hard-top convertible variant, with both being powered by the automaker's 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine from the Honda Civic Type R. Just like the NSX, the ZSX is rumored to get electric motors on the front and rear axles. Previous reports match the unnamed source's claims, as the ZSX was expected to be a replacement for the Honda S2000 that ended production in 2009. It now sounds like it'll be more of a mini-NSX, with rumors pointing towards one electric motor powering the rear wheels, while two motors would be on the front axle. Patents from last year, which are pictured above, match the rumors of a mid-engined sports car. The ZSX trademark is for Europe only as of right now, while the automaker's previous patents and trademarks included the US, as well. Only time will tell if "ZSX" really stands for a sports car, or if Honda actually goes through with its plans. Remember, Nissan ditched similar plans for a small rear-wheel-drive sports car recently. Related Video: Featured Gallery Honda ZSX Patent News Source: EUIPO, Performance DriveImage Credit: autovisie Green Acura Honda Coupe Hybrid Performance trademark rumor honda nsx

Acura slaps $20,000 discount on 2019 NSX in an effort to sell more supercars

The new Acura NSX has struggled to move off dealer lots as of late, and Acura isn't being coy about adding incentives to its supercar. Motor Trend spotted an under-the-radar $20,000 discount, which is a substantial price slash on a car that starts at $159,300. This incentive isn't actually listed or advertised anywhere on Acura's website, but Motor Trend's Intellichoice affiliate (ownership cost and value analysis site) managed to uncover the discount. If you bought a completely base NSX, the price could be as low as $139,300 now. That's before you do any other negotiations with your dealer to lower the price further. The discount only applies to 2019 model year cars, which is actually a great thing. Acura made a bunch of small, important changes to the refreshed NSX for 2019 you can read about here. It's a better car than before, and now it's significantly cheaper than last year's model, as well. That makes the supercar a veritable steal. Acura has reportedly had this discount in effect since mid-March, and sales throughout this year have been improved versus last year — 72 NSXs had moved off lots at this time in 2018, whereas 102 have found new owners this year. That may not seem like a whole lot, but even a small uptick in supercar sales is meaningful when you're selling in such low quantities. The 2018 calendar year was the worst year in new NSX sales to date, with only 170 in total finding new homes. In 2017 Acura moved a grand total of 581 NSXs, the car's best year. If you want to actually take advantage of the discount (we envy you) then know it's scheduled to last through March 31, 2020. That's a long time to decide if you want the Japanese supercar. A 992 911 Carrera 4S ($121,660) with a few pricey options will easily be bumping into a base NSX, so your expensive sports car decision just got a little tougher. Related Video:

Acura RDX Luggage Test | How much cargo space?

The Acura RDX is considered a compact luxury SUV, but there's actually very little that's compact about it. When lined up against its competitors, you can see that it enjoys a clear dimensional advantage. In fact, the RDX is pretty close to the Lexus RX, with an identical rear legroom figure and considerably more cargo space with the back seat raised. Obviously, I'll be addressing the latter here. On paper, Acura provides several cargo numbers calling out specific SAE measurement standards for each one. Basically, it has 31.1 cubic-feet behind its back seat when you include its underfloor storage and 29.5 cubic-feet when you don't. Even that smaller number is superior to everything in the segment save the Volvo XC60 (29.7), while the Lexus RX apparently has a seems-way-too-small 18.4.   Let's see what that size advantage means. It's obvious that this is a comparatively deep and wide space with plenty of air above the back seat line for bulkier items. Note that the cargo cover was not present in this test vehicle, so I couldn't test capacity with it in place. As in every luggage test, I use two midsize roller suitcases that would need to be checked in at the airport (26 inches long, 16 wide, 11 deep), two roll-aboard suitcases that just barely fit in the overhead (24L x 15W x 10D), and one smaller roll-aboard that fits easily (23L x 15W x 10D). I also include my wife's fancy overnight bag just to spruce things up a bit (21L x 12W x 12D). There you go, all the bags fit easily. This is pretty much identical to the Lexus RX (below left) and a much easier fit than the Mercedes GLC, which is  one of the only other compact luxury models I've tested. Both of these examples are more capacious than their specs would indicate. However, this is not the end of the RDX story. Remember when I mentioned that it has 31.1 cubic-feet when including its underfloor storage? Well, that might actually be underselling the extra space gained. First, I like that the floor flips back and rests flat so you can easily use the extra space. You can also fully remove the floor piece to gain access to the aft bin, which is deeper but oddly shaped.  Here are my four largest bags standing up, with sufficient rear visibility maintained, and you still have the full-width section of the cargo area including the underfloor bin. What can you fit there? How about a 38-quart cooler and the remaining two bags stacked haphazardly around it.